It has been a busy but productive fortnight with children receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, Book Week, and for Years 7 & 8 the wonderful excitement for camp as Week 8 looms closer. Ka pai to all of you that have supported the seniors with their fundraising efforts of chocolate bars, butter chicken and other pre-mixes. Your support is well received and if you are going past Bunnings on Saturday, I am sure the team will be happy to sell you a sausage!

Kaha whakamataku | Awesome Effort

To Jamie, William, Issy, Charlotte, Isobel, Kahu, Alina and Abby for your leadership

We were thrilled on Tuesday when our Student Council led the Book Character Parade - they had the great responsibility of being the judges which was indeed a learning experience. What a fabulous turnout of characters we had - well done to everyone for their creative effort. Thanks to the parents who joined us for the parade - it was great to see so many. 

The Student Council, along with Te Maunga are now busy organising the School Disco so they look forward to your continued support - see details below. 

Worthy Causes - Can you help?

We are supporting a wonderful initiative that the Mulhern whānau have suggested - the Lazy Sneakers movement A blue bin is in the school office to collect any preloved or new sports shoes that you may have at home. These shoes will then go to the movement who will re-distribute them to tamariki who may be in need. Please see the link to gain more information about this initiative. And shout out to Isobel, Alice and Ben for promoting such a good cause.  

We were thrilled to hear that Jessie along with her dance crew gained further success by winning the New Zealand championships in Hamilton on July which made them eligible for the World Championships in Portugal in 3 months' time. Ka pai Jessie. But of course, the challenge for the 18-team squad is to raise the funds needed in such a short amount of time. So we have decided to support Jessie’s fundraising drive with a non-uniform day planned for Friday, September 1. The challenge is to wear pink and white and bring along a gold coin (or more if you wish) to support Jessie and her team. Please read the article on these talented young people - Eighteen young Wellington dancers with three months to find $200,000 | Stuff.co.nz If you wish to support them further you are welcome to make a donation using the NOVA to World Championships in Portugal - Givealittle

Book Fair - last day tomorrow

Tēnā koutou to all the whānau who have come in to see the Book Fair and made purchases. Tomorrow is our final day so if you haven't been in yet, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. 

Pōwhiri and Mass
Next week we hope you can join us to welcome our 3 newest tamariki into our community at the Pōwhiri and Mass - It is on Wednesday at 9:30. 

Finally as required by the Education and Training Act 2020 and in support of the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) we have our Physical Restaint policy which we welcome everyone to read on. 

With snow on the Remutaka Range we wish you a warm night as we all hunker down - here's to some great football tomorrow. 

Ngā manaakitanga

Denise

In Te Awa, we have begun a new style of Discovery Time called Projects. This is where we come up with ideas for things we would like to make or try out such as Origami, creating our own board games or even writing books. 

My project with Sam and Caleb, is making a card game called both Not Even and Free Clash. Both are made of paper, pencil, and felts. They’re both going pretty good with the cards and maps. You can add stuff to them and we are working on the rules still. 

Alexander Meech

I am making a game called Free Clash with Sam and Alex and you have to get players and when you defeat every place you go to arena games. They have the strongest people. You pay money to go to places. Each person has a house that has what they like and there are some random places that no one lives in. 

Caleb Ackerly

We wrote a fiction book about two kittens. The two kittens are called Cookie and Blueberry. We made it out of paper and staples. This book is about the two kittens trying to get some cookies and blueberries. It is an adventure story set in a house. You can find it in the Te Awa class library. 

Paige Smith and Marianne Price. 

For my project I’m learning Origami. I’ve tried making a cat but it was too hard. I have also tried to make a pop-up cat. We use paper for this, there is special origami paper that has a design on one side and is blank on the other. I have made a bird, a bookmark and a bouncing cat. We are working on trying both hard and easy level origami. When we know it's hard we still give it a try and I say to myself “Never give up if it's your dream, even if you can never achieve it”. Origami is one of the hardest things, harder than drawing. But if you finish it, it will look absolutely fantastic.You can make your own box - you would be shocked and amazed with how cool it is!

Sakora Walker

Tēnā koutou katoa

After (too many) cold, wet, and stormy days, the sunshine has finally been out this week. The trying days of winter bring to mind a whakatauki (proverb) about resilience and endurance in challenging circumstances:

He kaka kau ana i te waewae o Rangiātea - The literal translation is "A parrot that nests on the feet of Rangiātea (the coldest harshest place)."  The kaka is known for its adaptability and intelligence. By nesting on the feet of Rangiātea, a place of extreme cold, the parrot demonstrates its resilience and ability to thrive in even the most adverse conditions.

This whakataukī is often used to praise and acknowledge individuals who show strength, resilience, and perseverance in difficult times. It serves as an encouragement to face challenges with courage and determination, reminding people that they can overcome adversity and emerge stronger, just like the kaka nesting on Rangiātea's feet.

Building resilience in children was the theme for Dr Chris Bowden’s presentation in July.  His presentation is on our school website and is well worth a read.  Chris’s insightful talk left us inspired and eager to explore further ways to foster resilience within our school community.

Watch out for our seminar on digital resilience in Term 4

We recognise that our tamariki and rangatahi face unique challenges in the digital age. To address this, in term 4, we are organising a seminar on digital resilience aimed at equipping parents and whānau with the knowledge to navigate potential online hazards. Teaching children how to be responsible digital citizens and manage screen time effectively will be a key focus.  Watch for more information in the coming weeks.

St Anthony’s 100-year celebrations

We would love to have all our children and whānau and the wider school community take part in some or all of the events planned for our centenary weekend, October 13th-14th 2023. Bookings are now open and we encourage you to book early to help with our planning: please go to https://www.trybooking.com/nz/events/landing/10006

Centenary volunteers

We warmly invite you to volunteer a little or a lot of time and energy and contribute to making the St Anthony’s School centenary celebrations a successful and memorable weekend. We need particular help with merchandise, sponsorship, a general support person for our chairperson and the creation of the website of photos.

Please contact the school office by phone: +64 4 380 6971 or email: office@stants.school.nz.  And no, you don’t have to be 100 to volunteer. 

Coffee catch ups

Ngā mihi nui to Suzy Tye for organising the Friday coffee sessions in the school library and fostering connections with our parents and school community.  Everyone is welcome, there’s no agenda and it’s great to catch up with other parents and caregivers in a relaxed atmosphere.  

Mark your calendars for the next Friday sessions: August 11th at 8:45 am and September 1st at 3 pm.

 Sprucing Up the School: Trees and Playground Markings

Our majestic sycamore tree near the Astro-turf provides much-needed shade during the summer months but it is well overdue for a trim.  In the coming weeks, you will see arborists pruning and shaping the canopy.  They will also be removing 2 gum trees on the bank which will provide more light for us and for our neighbours.

The playground markings (netball court, basketball court, and other markings) are also getting a fresh coat of colour and there will be some new games too (shhh, it’s a surprise!).

He Atawhai classroom block -  facade improvements

Over the last 2 months, we have had contractors working to repair water damage and restore the facade on the He Atawhai classroom block.  This work is near completion and scaffolding will be taken down shortly once the painting is complete. 

Junior Playground

Last but not least, it’s great to see the upgraded and refreshed junior playground nearly back in action for our tamariki.  Ngā mihi nui to Mrs. Johnson, Darren Handscomb, Mike Henderson, Metalworx, and all those who helped make this playground a challenging and fun learning space for our school.

Last year we were granted funds from the Wellington City Council Waste Minimisation Seed Fund to help us build up our compost programme. Here is the update of how we are going:

At Environment Club we have a compost cycle. We have a compost bin in each class.Then we have a job to empty the compost bins and put it in the big worm farm. We wait for it to break down and get the worm pee and put it in the garden. The cycle then starts because the food that the worm pee has fertilised goes back into the compost bin and the cycle keeps going. 

 By Bianca and Jessie

Environment Club is when we look after the environment. Every Monday we go to Miss Smyth class and we learn about compost and the cycle about it. Every other Monday we do different activities like: making a compost bin. 

We went outside to look at the plants to see if they are doing great. In our compost bin we have some plants that are growing. We also have worm pee but we call it worm tea so it doesn’t seem gross. 

Two people came in from the City Council and they were telling us that you can reduce soil and make new plants out of it. We put compost and sticks in a jar and waited for it to crush down into good soil. 

By Gila

On August 25 we will be having the 2023 St Anthony’s School Disco for our tamariki. It will start at 5:30pm and end at 7:30pm. 

On sale will be drinks, face painting and other things. We will be also taking orders for the pizza so please watch out for the notice. Tickets are $5 each and all earnings will go to the Te Maunga camp fund raiser. 

So please watch out for the notice to purchase tickets and place the pizza order. 

On behalf of Te Maunga we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing everyone there.

The Inspire Photography Team are excited to be back at St Anthony's School, Seatoun this year! We will be photographing your children and their classes on the Thursday the 24 August 2023.

If you would like your children to have sibling photos, please fill in our Sibling Photo Request form.

Follow this link to the form >> https://www.inspireschools.co.nz/StAnthonys_Sibl_Request.htmltml

Please Note : Submissions for Sibling Photos will be closing on the 21 August.

Out of School Siblings will be photographed on the 24th of August starting at 8.30 am.

In School Siblings will be photographed during the school day on the 24th of August.

About 3 weeks after your photo day, the galleries will be online and ready to go and you will receive details from the school office.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in contact with the Team at Inspire, info@inspirephotography.co.nz or ring 04 384 8009.

Our next parent/whānau coffee group is this Friday  8:30-10 am, in the library. All welcome. Feel free just pop in for a quick coffee and a hello before your day starts.

If you would like to be added to the What's App Group for these meetings then please reply to the survey sent out in Hero this week.  It's a great way to get a reminder that these catch up's are on.

Friday Lunches

Subway order envelopes should have come home yesterday.  Please note that this is a cash-only option so please pop the money into the envelope provided.

Thanks to our parent helpers Jacinta and Sian for organising this lunch for the students.

St Catherine’s College seeks applications for the position of Finance  Administrator

As part of the administration team, you will be responsible for accounting and assisting with reception and back up payroll (EdPay) support within the College.  Predominantly accounts payable, accounts receivable and daily banking.  Knowledge of Xero, and GST would be preferable.

This is a permanent position.

You will have: strong attention to detail, with accurate numeracy skills being paramount:  computer literacy; excellent communication and time management skills; a positive attitude with a commitment to teamwork and sharing tasks.

Hours are: 10.30 am to 3.30 pm Monday to Friday (22.5 hours) in the school term time. Some hours will be required to be worked in the school holidays.  These are negotiable.

Written application including CV and the names of two referees should be directed to Katrina Kerr-Bell, Principal, St Catherine’s College, P. O. Box 14076 Kilbirnie, Wellington 6241 or emailed to chris.perry@scc.school.nz.  To obtain a copy of the job description or if you have any queries please contact Chris Perry, PA on (04) 939-8988.

Closing date is Friday 18 August 2023 at 3.00 pm